Christine Gray is bringing some color to women's tennis.
Gray, a successful tennis player in college, turned the love of the sport into coaching.
Three years ago, Gray was at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she held a seven-year tenure as head coach of the women's tennis team.
She then came to Auburn, finding success with the tennis program and loving the Auburn spirit.
"Having the opportunity to be a head coach at Wellesley built my skill set tremendously," Gray said. "It helped me to perform at a high level and further my ability to coach here at Auburn."
Gray led Wellesley to four straight New England women's and men's Athletic Conference Championships from 2004 to 2007.
To top that, she also earned two individual NEWMAC sportsmanship awards along the way.
Dating back to 2004, Gray has been named coach of the year on eight different occasions, something most coaches find hard to earn once.
In May 2004, Gray was inducted into the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame.
"To be recognized in any sport is special," Gray said. "But it means a little extra to be recognized for both academics and sports. It's something I am very proud of."
Gray showed leadership even before taking on a professional role, serving as captain of the 1991-1992 Brown University varsity women's tennis team.
While attending Brown, she furthered her leadership by earning a bachelor's degree in international relations while leading her team to the Ivy League Championship in 1991.
After leaving Brown, Gray was a bit unsure of where to go with her newfound life.
"When I left college, I loved the concept of coaching, but I decided to teach instead," Gray said. "However, with my educational experiences at hand, it eventually lead me to coaching tennis."
Today, Gray continues to prove herself in the Auburn tennis department.
Although this is her third season at Auburn, the players agree that her presence is something special.
"She is very positive about what she does," said Caroline Thornton, sophomore on the tennis team. "She has a very calming effect on the players that really translates on the field."
Gray helped lead senior Fani Chifchieva to the NCAA Division I singles championship.
With her husband Tim Gray as head tennis coach, the Grays make an unstoppable duo.
"Coach (Christine) Gray is all about hard work on the court, strictly business," said freshman Emily Newton.
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